The Science Museum of Minnesota and its president, Eric Jolly, had a special role this week in a unique national tradition, the 136th Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, hosted by the First Family.

Jolly was among those in his field on Monday presenting a “science moment” in the event’s “Eggsperiment Zone.” His topic: an exploration of the Bernoulli Effect, explaining how air pressure lifts an object, helping it to fly (see him demonstrate it at vimeo.com/92326636). Participants used their learning about air speed and density, surface area and lift to design and test paper kites, according to the museum.

It was Jolly’s second year in a row at the event, which draws 30,000 visitors from around the nation.

Distracted driving

Law enforcement agencies set out earlier this month to educate Minnesotans about the dangers of distracted driving. They nabbed 550 drivers for texting as part of the effort.

Under Minnesota’s “No Texting” Law, enacted in 2008, it is illegal for drivers to read, compose or send texts or emails as well as access the Web on a wireless device while their vehicle is in motion, while stopped in traffic or at a stoplight or stop sign. It also is illegal for drivers under age 18 to use a cellphone at any time.

The 10-day campaign also resulted in citations and arrests for other violations.

Distracted driving contributes to 25 percent of all crashes, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.

It notes distractions beyond texting, including daydreaming and taking one’s mind off driving; reaching for items; manipulating radio, music and vehicle controls; eating and drinking as well as grooming and “dealing with rowdy passengers.” The consequences can be fatal.

Better words

Why not think of those learning English in our schools as “emerging bilinguals”?

As we noted on this page this week, the mindset in Minnesota is changing when it comes to educating our diverse students.

So is the terminology.

It’s an arc, said Matt Mohs of the St. Paul public schools, describing a move from teaching English as a second language to those who were “limited-English proficient” to more recent work with English-language learners.

Recognizing the students as “emerging bilinguals” represents a transition now “to the idea that we have students who are already proficient in their native language,” said Mohs, the district’s chief academic officer. “They are learning English to become bilingual and, in some cases, multilingual.”

We wish them well, as we do Mohs, named last week as incoming headmaster at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights.

Building tourism

Visit St. Paul, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, last week recognized four award winners who showcase the importance of community participation in building tourism. Congratulations to:

— Partner of the Year, Xcel Energy, for helping to brighten downtown St. Paul in winter, creating the backdrop for many community and “destination” events.

— Member of the Year, the Covington Inn and its innkeeper, Liz Miller, for her support of tourism. The inn at Harriet Island, a vintage towboat, is one of only a few floating bed-and-breakfasts in the nation.

— Event of the Year, the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, touted as the “most beautiful urban marathon in America.” It draws 30,000 participants each year, and even more spectators lining the route to the finish line near the state Capitol.

— Hometown Hero, Mike Hahm, St. Paul’s director of parks and recreation, honored for efforts in many of the city’s largest events, from Red Bull Crashed Ice to the Back to the ’50s Car Show.

A 50-mile walk for books

Books for Africa founder Tom Warth will lead a 50-mile walk, beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend, from Taylors Falls to the Minnesota state Capitol to raise funds to send books to the children of Africa.

Members of the public are welcome to join the walk, which will follow back-country roads to Scandia on Friday, then go through the William O’Brien State Park and the Jackson Meadow trails on Saturday and continue on the full length of the Gateway Trail to the Capitol on Sunday. A concluding celebration will be held on the Capitol steps at 4 p.m. Details are at booksforafrica.org.

Warth founded Books for Africa 25 years ago with a simple mission: end the book famine on the continent. Since then, the nonprofit has collected and shipped 30 million books to students in 49 countries and is the largest shipper of educational books to Africa.

To promote Books for Africa and to raise funds, Warth, a retired publisher, has walked across The Gambia in West Africa; from Lake Michigan to the South Dakota border; from the Canadian border to Iowa; from Menomonie, Wis., to St. Paul; and climbed Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. Keep trekking, Tom.

A month for museums

May is Museums Month in Minnesota, the annual celebration of the nearly 600 facilities that help make our state a great place to live. A free Minnesota Musuems App is available to help smartphone users sample the treasures, from history and art museums to gardens and zoos. Download it at museumsmonth.org.

In the Minnesota Historical Society’s Museums Month celebration, children will be admitted free with a paying adult throughout May at two sites, the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul and Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. (The offer excludes school field trips.) In addition, moms will receive free admission at both museums on Mother’s Day, May 11.

Further, April showers bring May wowers, Opinuendo sayeth not.

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